Marissa Paternoster is the vocalist and lead guitarist for Screaming Females, a punk trio out of New Brunswick, NJ. They just released a new album called “Ugly” and the record shows a new depth to Marissa’s vocals and amazing layers of crunchy guitars, bass and drums. I’ve listened to the whole thing and I think it will definitely be one of my top 5 albums of the year.
Marissa took some time to answer a few questions right before kicking off their tour.
What was the first concert you ever went to?
I think the first show I ever went to on my own accord was a Weezer show in New Jersey. I honestly can’t remember a damn thing about the show except that it was a little bit boring ’cause there were seats and I felt trapped and I was standing next to some 20something that kept spilling his High Life onto my army jacket.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve heard about yourself?
Uh, geez, you’ve got me stumped.
You’ve done tons of artwork including album covers and fliers, who are your artistic influences?
My favorite artists include Frida Kahlo, Diane Arbus, Henry Darger, Louise Bourgeois, David Shrigley, Philip Guston, Cindy Sherman, Basquiat, Howard Finster, Cy Twombly, and B. Kliban. Just to name a few.
What makes you want to keep your songs with Screaming Females and Noun separate, especially considering Mike and Jarrett contributed to “Holy Hell” ?
When Screaming Females writes, we write and arrange the songs collectively. When Noun writes songs, it’s all on me. I started writing as Noun long before Screaming Females began, so a lot of those songs have been kicking around for a while.
How do you go about the songwriting process?
When Screaming Females writes, we get together in our practice space (wherever that may be) play riffs and improvise until something clicks. Then we will proceed to arrange the song however we see fit.
What is Rubyfruit Radio?
Rubyfruit Radio is a podcast devoted to playing the best in female artists and female fronted bands.
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